The Ultimate Shark Diet Quiz

What do most sharks eat? The short answer is: just about anything. The long answer is more complicated, since the almost 400 species of shark vary in their culinary tastes. Take our quiz and find out what sharks like to eat.

Start Quiz »

You scored

0 out of 20

Question 1 of 20

How did cookiecutter sharks get their name?

They like to eat cookies.

They look like a cookie cutter.

They take small bites from their prey.

Cookiecutter sharks got their name because they take small bites of flesh from their prey.

Question 2 of 20

How many shark species are there?

200

300

400

Shark eating habits and preferences vary from species to species and with almost 400 different shark species, the variations are endless.

Question 3 of 20

All sharks are:

carnivorous

All sharks are at least partially carnivorous, consuming between 0.5 and 3.0 percent of their body weight each meal.

herbivorous

omnivorous

Question 4 of 20

How often do sharks eat a meal?

every hour

every day

every two to three days

Since sharks don't chew their food very well, they space their meals out to every two or three days to give themselves time to digest.

Question 5 of 20

How do shark hunting habits help to perpetuate "survival of the fittest" within their environment?

The tiger shark has been known to eat all kinds of non-living things, including license plates and gasoline canisters.

the cookiecutter shark

the basking shark

Question 16 of 20

Which part of a shark's body offers clues to their foods of choice?

their stomachs

their mouths

their teeth

A shark's teeth offers clues to its prey of choice. Great white sharks have razor-sharp, triangular fangs to tear into the thick flesh of sea mammals, whereas filter feeders like whale sharks have short, blunt teeth since they don't have to tear into anything .

Question 17 of 20

_____ are the shark's most threatening predator.

human beings

Even though killer whales that weigh around 5 tons (4,535 kilograms) have been known to eat ferocious great white sharks, their most dangerous predators are human beings.

whales

boats

Question 18 of 20

How many tons of shark and dogfish meat did the United States export in 2007?

more than 2,000 tons

more than 3,000 tons

more than 4,000 tons

According to the National Marine Fisheries Service, in 2007, the United States exported 4,160 tons of shark and dogfish meat.

Question 19 of 20

Which of the following countries has banned the practice of shark finning?

Japan

China

Canada

The United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa have all banned the practice of finning -- catching sharks, slicing off their fins and then leaving the finless and defenseless sharks in the water.

Question 20 of 20

How many of the almost 400 species of shark have ever made contact with humans?

30

According to the Florida Museum of Natural History, only 30 of the almost 400 species of shark have ever made contact with humans. Of those 30, shark specialists consider about 12 to be potentially dangerous to humans.